Derek Boogaard-A brain going bad

I loved when Jim McKenzie said he was so bummed when a guy's helmet came off in a fight because bare knuckles hurt so much more hitting bare skull... the helmet at least provided some padding for his hands.

Fingers and hands break quicker than skulls -- and hurt like hell! Skulls - the pain isn't as easily recognized because the body gives you time to get the hell out of a MAJOR situation without having to cringe in pain first.

Hockey is an insane sport when you think about it. Lots of people say get rid of the protective equipment and football will become a safer game.
Hockey... you're protecting yourself from that stupid biscuit! Such an awesome sport for being so stupid...

But when we are talking about people dying way before they should and developing dementia at a young age, we fans can't just say it's more entertaining when people's lives are at stake. Watching a fight from the stands you can't tell what the hell is going on except that you see punches that look like they are connecting, and eventually another player falls down. The energy is still there, and keeping the helmet on means the safety is there too.